All posts by n8rngtd.top

Though the appointment is currently being made on a series-by-series basis it seems likely that Anderson will keep the job at least until the conclusion of Stokes’ court case

Andrew McGlashan in Hamilton13-Mar-2018Ben Stokes has been stripped of the England vice-captaincy for the Test series against New Zealand with James Anderson retaining the role he took on during the Ashes. Though the appointment is currently being made on a series-by-series basis it seems likely that Anderson will keep the job at least until the conclusion of Stokes’ court case.Stokes’ trial date, after his charge of affray to which he has pleaded not guilty following the incident in Bristol last September, has been set for August 6 and is expected to last between five and seven days, meaning the allrounder will miss the Lord’s Test against India. Having removed the vice-captaincy from him in the current situation it is very unlikely he will be considered again until the outcome of the legal case is known and also the Cricket Disciplinary Commission process that will follow.Anderson took over the role for the Ashes after Stokes was removed from the squad as he awaited charging following his arrest outside Mbargo nightclub in Bristol on September 25. Stokes returned to action in the one-day series against New Zealand, but having him one step away from captaining England with an ongoing legal case was a situation the ECB needed to avoid. With Stokes not being in Australia, and Jos Buttler the vice-captain to Eoin Morgan in the one-day side, this was the first time a decision needed to be made by Joe Root and coach Trevor Bayliss with Stokes present.Last week, Bayliss praised Anderson’s impact in the position during the Ashes where he was the stand-out England bowler and he is also understood to have made a good impression behind the scenes on what was a difficult tour. Given his seniority it was a logical choice for him to continue and he can now also expect to have the job against Pakistan and India in the summer.”I’m delighted Joe has asked me to do it again for this series,” Anderson told the . “It doesn’t change my role in the team a huge amount. I see myself as a senior player and I’m there for people if they need advice. Certainly if Joe needs help on the field, I’m there for him.”Anderson got a taste of being one step away from the captaincy on the final day of the Ashes when Root was taken ill and could not conduct the post-match interviews (England were only batting so Anderson was not needed to lead in the field) but he sees a collection of senior players as being important to offering advice.”It’s a big group effort when we go on the field, so it’s important that we get that right,” he said. “Again in the dressing-room, it’s trying to get people relaxed and ready to play Test cricket.”It’s not just my job; it’s Joe’s, Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad have plenty of experience, and the coaches as well who have been around the block. It’s our job to help out where we can and try to help this team progress.”This series against New Zealand will see England trying to correct a horrendous run away from home which has seen them lose nine of their last 12 Tests overseas. They avoided another Ashes whitewash due to a draw on a docile Melbourne pitch, but Anderson believes that England weren’t as poor as the 4-0 scoreline suggests.”I don’t think we were far away,” he said. “I know the scoreline says 4-0, and it looks like we got thrashed. But in each Test match I don’t think we were that far away.”We got ourselves into games at certain times, and it was a bad half-hour or an hour here and there that really cost us the games we lost. I think that’s the learning curve for us.”

Virat Kohli’s team will face an incredibly tough path to the playoffs if they drop points against CSK

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu04-May-2018

Form guide (most recent match first)

CSK: lost to KKR by six wickets, beat Daredevils by 13 runs, lost to Mumbai by 8 wickets
RCB: beat Mumbai by 14 runs, lost to KKR by six wickets, lost to CSK by five wickets

Big Picture

Royal Challengers Bangalore could probably afford one more loss. But only if they get very lucky with other results going their way.They came away from the IPL auction like a tourist with a detailed itinerary: allrounders, check; big-hitters, check; KKR’s bowling attack that knocked them over for 49, double check. But one month in, all they have is a bag full of knock-off merchandise. Five defeats in eight matches with a squad that Virat Kohli thought was the most balanced is, essentially, like being stuck with t-shirts that say Wrong instead of , right?But some innocent bystanders have given them a helpful tip, at least with respect to their next adventure. It is hard to compete with Chennai Super Kings’ batting line-up. So make fools of their bowlers.Target scores well above par if batting first. Forget about the run-rate and safeguard wickets for the death if chasing. Basically, RCB have to figure out a way to beat a monstrous batting team with virtually the tournament on the line.It seems karma wants them to learn how everyone that faces RCB feels.

In the news

AB de Villiers has been declared fit after viral fever ruled him out of RCB’s previous two games. Quinton de Kock, however, has flown back to South Africa for a wedding.

Previous meeting

A high-scoring affair when RCB posted 205 and CSK chased it down in a blaze of sixes in Bengaluru. De Villiers made a rip-roaring 68.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Ambati Rayudu, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Imran Tahir, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 KM AsifDe Kock’s absence may see Parthiv Patel getting his first game of the season.Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Manan Vohra/Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Brendon McCullum 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Strategy punt

Imran Tahir has taken 15 wickets in Pune, the most among anyone in the CSK squad, and he has taken out AB de Villiers two times in three IPL innings. This head-to-head can be quite compelling for the viewer as well because the batsman also strikes at 185.7 against the legspinner.

Stats that matter

• RCB have four wins in five games in Pune, and de Villiers was Man of the Match in three of those games. He has made 211 runs at a strike-rate of 177. Viral fever, begone.
• CSK have rarely had a phenomenal bowling line-up. But they mask that problem with their spinners and Dhoni’s ability to use them. In each of their eight years, their economy rate had always hovered around 7 and strike rate around 25. In 2018, those numbers have risen to 8.49 and 34.50.
• Before Tim Southee was brought in to the XI, RCB were conceding a six every six deliveries in the death. Now, that figure is a far more respectable 18.3.
• Dhoni has scored 329 runs at a strike-rate of 169.6. That’s his best tally after nine matches in any season of IPL.

Fantasy pick

Ambati Rayudu. He’s the highest scorer of the IPL this season with six scores of 30-plus in nine innings. He’s also been hitting at a strike-rate of 153 with 56 hits to and over the boundary.

Quotes

“The last four days have been a blur I have been suffering from severe viral flu, one of the most debilitating illnesses I have ever experienced. Aside from one visit to the hospital, I have barely left my hotel room. Sleep has been almost impossible, and the migraine headaches have been extreme.”

The legspinner played an important role in Bangladesh’s 3-0 win over Afghanistan in the recent T20I series

Mohammad Isam07-Oct-2025Rishad Hossain makes regular contributions for Bangladesh. The legspinner’s presence allows Bangladesh to have a varied bowling attack and gives them a fielder who can change the course of the game. Those skills have also raised his stock in franchise cricket. He played for Lahore Qalandars in PSL 2025, after which Hobart Hurricanes drafted him for the upcoming BBL season.Rishad is likely to be available for the full BBL season and is looking forward to link up with Ricky Ponting, the franchise’s head of strategy.”As a legspinner, if I get to play in these foreign leagues, it will be good for me and for my bowling,” Rishad said in an interaction organised by Hurricanes. “I’ll get opportunities to improve my skills.Related

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“Ponting was one of my favourite players growing up; I used to watch him play. I’m really looking forward to working with him. More than the players, I’m looking forward to working with Ricky Ponting and playing under his coaching.”For Bangladesh, Rishad plays the role of a middle-overs wicket-taker, something he wants to do for the Hurricanes as well.”As a legspinner, my job is to take wickets after the powerplay. I hope to continue that in Hobart,” he said. “My goal is to create doubt in the batter’s mind by using different angles. It’s just another variation. I believe in my strengths, and day by day I’m trying to improve – even if it’s just by one or two percent – without thinking too much about the future.”Rishad also has recent form on his side. He has taken at least one wicket in seven of the last eight T20Is – including five wickets in the recent T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah that Bangladesh won 3-0. He will be an important part of Bangladesh’s ODI attack too for the three-match series that begins on Wednesday.”I think it was important to get off to a good start right after the Asia Cup,” Rishad said. “Winning the series is always a good feeling.”What was particularly impressive about the Bangladesh spin attack was how they outbowled the Afghanistan spinners. Bangladesh’s spinners had a much better average and strike rate, even though they took ten wickets compared to 11 by Afghanistan’s spinners. Rishad’s bowling partner Nasum Ahmed was even adjudged the Player of the Series for five wickets at an economy rate of 5.58.”They have a lot of world-class bowlers in their side, so we tried to analyse them as much as we could before every game,” Rishad said about the Afghanistan spinners. “We got success [too].”Bangladesh are also finding out other sides of Rishad. His big-hitting ability became known last year when he cracked seven sixes in his of 30-ball 53 against Sri Lanka. His fielding impact was illustrated by his stunning run-out of Abhishek Sharma in the Asia Cup.”That situation demanded that we take a wicket,” Rishad said. “I was trying to create an opportunity, maybe with a diving catch or a fielding effort – anything to change the momentum of the game since it was on their side at that time, and it happened.”

Ballance is the first Yorkshire batsman to have scored hundreds in five successive Yorkshire matches

David Hopps at Headingley06-Jun-2019Gary Ballance’s chances of a century in six successive Yorkshire matches came to grief just before tea on the final day at Emerald Headingley with an unexpected cloudburst that prematurely ended a stalemate that had long since lost all other significance.That at least consigned one of Yorkshire’s more confusing statistics to history. Ballance is the first Yorkshire batsman to have scored hundreds in five successive Yorkshire matches, although Len Hutton did it on seven successive occasions in Yorkshire matches in 1947 and 1948.Such distinctions will not remotely concern Ballance, who was 51 not out when the deluge brought an early tea. His only ambition will be to extend a prolific Championship season, which has brought 668 runs at 83.5, to force his way into consideration for the Ashes series. If happenstance means James Vince gets an opportunity with England in the World Cup, and he makes runs, Ballance’s chances of adding to his 23 Tests, the last of them against South Africa in Nottingham, will further recede.One senses in any case that Ballance is out of vogue, to be ranked alongside avocado bathroom suites, lava lamps and hipster beards. He will have to play doubly well to get noticed.(Incidentally, the suggestion that hipster beards are out of fashion was a cruel misrepresentation and if any hipsters happened to have been drawn to a piece about an ultimately pointless county cricket match, one can assume they have already left in search of reassurance).From the moment on the third evening that Peter Siddle rose, half asleep, from a bench in the Essex dressing room, where he had been vaguely watching India’s World Cup match against South Africa, and roused himself to save the follow-on, this contest needed enterprise from both captains to salvage a worthwhile finish.But Siddle and Sam Cook blithely extended their last-wicket stand for a further 70 minutes, and those who had hoped for better began to stare staunchly into mid-distance. Championship spectators no longer religiously turn to the newspaper crossword to help them through the game’s longeurs (a shame because it was always an interesting clue to their political affiliations) and many remain allergic to mobile phones, especially during hours of play.In all, Siddle and Cook put on 86 in 25 overs, every run making the slim chance of a positive declaration increasingly starved of possibility. Siddle finished with 60 off 119 balls, his best score in his second season as Essex’s overseas player, at which point he fell leg-before to Steve Patterson, while Cook’s career-best unbeaten 37 off 74 included a pulled six off Ben Coad.When Yorkshire started their second innings, they led by 81 with 76 overs remaining in the day. Many sides have contrived finishes from such positions, but not often on such a sound surface, and not often Yorkshire.Andrew Gale, the coach, said with justification that the pitch had flattened out. Yorkshire remain unbeaten, and stable, but have yet to pull off the sort of thrilling result that identifies them as definite title contenders. Now 25 points behind leaders Somerset, they face Surrey at Guildford on Monday; the defending champions are yet to win in five matches.Yorkshire lost their debutant opener, Will Fraine, for a duck, but were on 107 for 1 from 42.5 overs when the rain tumbled from the sky. Essex’s main concern will surround the fitness of their seam bowler Jamie Porter, who is the catalyst for so many of their better moments, and who limped off during his 10th over.

England dominated the morning session on Day 2, but India’s quicks turned the tide

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2025

Mohammed Siraj pinned Joe Root lbw with seam in and low bounce•Associated Press

Tea Ladies and gentlemen, we have a ball game. A spirited second session of day two from India – namely Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna – has lit a fire under this fifth Test at The Oval, leaving England 215 for 7 at tea, trailing by nine. Harry Brook, fiery on 33 not out, remains England’s best hope of a worthwhile lead with England two wickets away from the end of their reply due to Chris Woakes’ shoulder injury.Three wickets each for Siraj and Prasidh more or less overturned the dominance asserted by openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. They had propelled England to 109 for 1 at lunch, after Gus Atkinson’s fourth five-wicket haul had capped India’s first innings at 224.Any thoughts of that being under par have been struck from the mind, primarily down to an eight-over spell from Siraj that read 3 for 35, with stand-in skipper Ollie Pope, the prized wicket of Joe Root and Jacob Bethell seen off in the space of 12 overs of play.All three were found wanting by Siraj’s late movement off the surface, with the slightest lack of bounce, from The Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion End. Pope’s required a review – despite striking the back pad plumb in front – before Root used one in vain to be dismissed for 29. Bethell simply walked.Prasidh could perhaps take an assist for Root’s wicket, having riled up the No. 2 on the all-time Test runs chart. Having thrown a ball at Crawley upon fielding in his follow-through – the pair exchanged an immediate apology and acceptance, respectively – Prasidh was in the book when Crawley failed to clear Ravindra Jadeja at midwicket for 64. He had earlier brought up his third half century of the series, and second in a row, from 42 deliveries.Root arrived and the pair became embroiled in a back and forth which left England’s No. 4 fuming. Prasidh then relieved Siraj and took India through to the break with two wickets in five deliveries; as Jamie Smith nicked high to KL Rahul at second slip and Jamie Overton was trapped LBW for what proved to be the final ball of the session.Prasidh Krishna struck twice in the last over before tea•Getty Images

It was a complete sea change from the morning, which featured Atkinson’s 5 for 33 upon his return to the side after two months out. He made light work of what remained of India’s first innings when they arrived on Friday morning on 204 for 6.It was all the more important after news this morning that Woakes would play no further part in the match after a suspected dislocated shoulder sustained in the field last night. And the Surrey quick, on his home ground, took three of the remaining four wickets that India had up their sleeve.Josh Tongue made the first key incision, albeit with a chaotic approach that would get any surgeon struck off. His first over, opening from the Vauxhall End, went for nine, but he was able to remove Karun Nair for 57 in his second. A sharp delivery that nipped into the stumps – Nair no doubt expected something short and wide either side of them – pinned the right-hander on the back leg. Plumb in front, Nair took one of India’s three reviews with him.Washington Sundar should have assumed the responsibility at that point as an elongated tail became exposed, but he fell five deliveries later, waltzing into a short ball trap, heaving Atkinson to deep square leg, where Jamie Overton sprinted in to take a smart catch.Atkinson would then skittle Siraj before Prasidh felt for a delivery outside off, completing a collapse of four for six in 18 balls. It also leaves Atkinson with an average of 21, the fourth best for an England seamer with fifty or more dismissals, and the second best strike rate, ever, at 34.9, for those who have taken 60 wickets.England’s openers were boundary happy, smoking 92 off just 77 deliveries, punishing India for every slight error in line or length. Duckett was the main driver, reverse-pulling Akash Deep over the cordon, then “conventionally” ramping Siraj into the sponge for the first two sixes of the match.Duckett fell to Akash Deep attempting a third, departing for 43 with the bowler putting his arm around the left-hander, as much in jest as respect.

Nightwatchman helps Durham into commanding position before taking first Leicestershire wicket to fall

ECB Reporters Network09-Jul-2019Durham made an early breakthrough after captain Cameron Bancroft set Leicestershire a formidable 393 to win the Specsavers County Championship match at the Fischer County Ground.Foxes captain Paul Horton was caught behind by Ned Eckersley, a fine low catch diving to his right by the former Leicestershire player, off the bowling of Nathan Rimmington shortly before the close. It completed an excellent day’s work for Rimmington, who after coming in as nightwatchman the previous evening, went on to make 92 as Durham piled on the runs in their second inningsResuming at the start of play on 191 for 1, Rimmington and Alex Lees extended their partnership to 71 before Lees, within sight of what would have been a third Championship century of the season, was unfortunate to glove a leg-side delivery from Gavin Griffiths through to wicketkeeper Lewis Hill.Rimmington continued to thrive however, reaching his half-century off 71 balls, including six fours and a six, and with Gareth Harte playing himself in solidly, the visitors passed 300 shortly before the lunch.Having toiled away all morning with just one success, Leicestershire did manage to pick up four more wickets in the afternoon session, three of which came as Durham added just one run to their score. Rimmington, on 92, went leg before to a Mohammad Abbas delivery which seamed back in, Jack Burnham was bowled by a Neil Dexter outswinger for a single, and then Harte also went leg before to Abbas, reducing Durham from 349 for 2 to 350 for 5.Graham Clark and Liam Trevaskis repaired some of the damage with a stand of 34 before Clark, responding to his partner’s call, was run out by Colin Ackermann’s direct hit from backward point, but Trevaskis and Eckersley then compiled an impressive century partnership off just 19.3 overs to enable Bancroft to declare after Trevaskis had holed out to long-on off Griffiths.

They have never won a Test series in the West Indies, and considering the hosts’ form, they have a good chance to break that duck now

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Jun-20182:30

‘I want to break Brian Lara’s 400’

Big Picture

That we have got to the eve of this first Test with no changes to the schedule is a small miracle. Sri Lanka-West Indies matches are prone to postponement and cancellation. Broadcasters feel the markets too small, and the time difference too great to sustain long-format cricket between these teams. They would rather see them play T20 cricket, or perhaps ODIs. But somehow, this time, the series appears as if it will be played as planned. It is not melodramatic to suggest that this could be the last ever three-Test encounter between these sides, because that way goes the cricket schedule.Considering the Test series planned for 2013 was turned into an ODI tri-series, the last time West Indies and Sri Lanka met for Test cricket in the Caribbean was in 2008. Back then Ramnaresh Sarwan was still playing, Chaminda Vaas was a new-ball bowler, and Rangana Herath was just a… okay, he was already pretty old. Point is, things have changed. West Indies’ top order is more brittle now – Roston Chase sporting their best average, a tick over 38. Sri Lanka’s fast bowling stocks have been depleted – Lahiru Kumara, their second most-experienced seamer with only nine Tests to his name. Both teams also know what a struggle it can be to rebuild following great players’ exits.It is difficult to pin down form going into this Test, because it has been so long since either team has played. West Indies’ most-recent Test was all the way back in the first half of December. Sri Lanka’s had wrapped up in early February. The one fact to recommend the visitors in this series is that Tests are probably their best format now, with a settled top order in place, and an effective spin-department led by Herath. In their last three series, all of which were overseas, Sri Lanka won against Pakistan, drew two matches against India, and beat Bangladesh – all of which are creditable achievements. West Indies, meanwhile, have won only one series in their last 11 – against Zimbabwe.Sri Lanka, for all the greats that have played for them over the years, have never quite managed to win a series in the Caribbean. Strangely, although they had one of their worst years in 2017, they have arrived on the islands feeling as if they have a good chance on this attempt. But as England found out last year at Headingley, this West Indies side has the capacity to surprise.3:21

‘If you can keep wicket in Sri Lanka, you can keep anywhere’

Form guide

Sri LankaWDDLD (completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLDWL

In the spotlight

Don’t say it too loudly, but there is a little of the regality of the old West Indian batsmen in 21-year-old Guyanese, Shimron Hetmyer. He hasn’t cracked the top level. Not even close. But there are glimpses of a wonderful player in his imperious pull shots, and his dismissive drives. In New Zealand last December, he had faced down one of the best attacks around and hit a sparkling 66 to light up the Basin Reserve. The issue for Hetmyer is that there is no consistency yet. His other scores in that series were 13, 28 and 15. Perhaps, against a weaker Sri Lanka pace attack, he can put a few more good performances together, and kick his career into a higher gear.Dinesh Chandimal took over the captaincy at one of Sri Lanka’s lowest ebbs, and within a few series, he has begun to make something of this team. His own batting has been crucial to the cause. Once a producer of flashy fifties, he is now workman-like to a fault, batting slow, batting long, often bailing innings out, sometimes even grinding down the opposition bowlers for other batsmen to take advantage of their exhaustion. He has already overseen an important series victory over Pakistan, in the UAE, but the prospect of achieving a series win in West Indies – something no other Sri Lanka captain has done – may be special motivation.Roshen Silva and Niroshan Dickwella prepare for a hit in the nets•Getty Images

Team news

The two fresh entrants into the squad, opener Devon Smith and wicketkeeper-batsman Jahmar Hamilton, may be left out of the playing XI. Devendra Bishoo is the only specialist spinner in the squad, so in Trinidad, he is likely to have a place in the XI.West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Shane Dowrich (wk), 7 Jason Holder (capt.), 8 Devendra Bishoo, 9 Miguel Cummins, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon GabrielDhananjaya de Silva, who delayed his departure to the West Indies because of the murder of his father, may have arrived too late to be available for the first Test. If he doesn’t take his spot at No. 3, Kusal Perera could be deployed there. Uncapped Mahela Udawatte might take the injured Dimuth Karunaratne’s place at the top of the order. Sri Lanka also have a difficult decision to make on which of their offspinners they should field. Akila Dananjaya is the more attacking option, but Dilruwan Perera’s batting may earn him the spot.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Mendis, 2 Mahela Udawatte, 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Roshen Silva, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Lahiru Gamage

Pitch and conditions

The weather in Port-of-Spain is expected to be good for the majority of the game, with the temperature in the low 30C range. The pitch generally takes a bit of turn.

Stats and trivia

• Chandimal has an average of 48.5 across his 10 Tests as captain, against an average of 42.33 when he is not leading.
• Sri Lanka have played only six Tests in the West Indies in total, winning only one of those games, in 2008. All their series before this one were restricted to two Tests only.
• West Indies, however, have won only two of their last 12 Tests at home.
  

The ICC is believed to have informally told PCB it was an early technical error, the explanation, however, has left PCB dissatisfied

Danyal Rasool21-Feb-2025The PCB has asked for an explanation from ICC over the omission of Pakistan’s name in the Champions Trophy branding during the live broadcast of Thursday’s match between India and Bangladesh in Dubai. The logo in the top left corner of the broadcast carried the event name – Champions Trophy 2025 – but not the name of Pakistan, the hosts, for the entirety of the match, which India won by six wickets.This was a departure from the broadcast graphics for the other matches of the tournament so far including the tournament opener between Pakistan played New Zealand in Karachi where the event name, as well as Pakistan’s name was visible on the broadcast. It was also visible for today’s game between Afghanistan and South Africa in Karachi. PCB is understood to be aggrieved at the situation and asked for assurances it will not happen again.While the ICC is believed to have informally told PCB it was an early technical error, the explanation has left PCB dissatisfied. Graphics are prepared by the ICC and provided to the live feed, produced by UK-based Sunset & Vine under ICC’s supervision, well in advance; that Pakistan’s name was on the logo for the opening game of the tournament has left PCB unconvinced over why the issue arose for the game between Bangladesh and India.The ICC maintains the incident occurred due to a technical glitch and has clarified this is not an issue that will affect any future games, regardless of whether they are played in Pakistan or the UAE. The next game in the UAE will also be the tournament’s most followed, with India taking on the official hosts Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.The issue over where the tournament takes place became contentious in the months leading up to the tournament, with Pakistan demanding they host every game, since the ICC had awarded them rights to the whole tournament. The BCCI informed the PCB the Indian government did not permit them to play in Pakistan, and insisted on a neutral venue for India’s matches. Ultimately a deal was struck that guarantees India will not need to play in Pakistan, including if they reach the final. As a reciprocal arrangement, Pakistan will not travel to India for any ICC events for the next three years, with their games agreed to be played at neutral venues.

Rhodes 82 not out follows three-fors from Hannon-Dalby, Rushworth and Booth

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2024Kent’s lurch towards Vitality Championship relegation continued as they were bowled out for 156 by Warwickshire on the opening day of their Division One battle at Edgbaston.Having collected just nine batting points from ten games, Kent were skittled in just 39.5 overs by the seamers before the home side eased past them to reach 207 for 3 at the close.Michael Booth, Olly Hannon-Dalby and Chris Rushworth each took three wickets to dismantle a Kent batting order in which only Ben Compton and Joey Evison reached double-figures. If Compton had not been badly dropped on 1, Kent’s implosion would have been complete.Warwickshire completed their excellent day by moving 51 ahead with seven wickets intact, Will Rhodes compiling a measured unbeaten 82 off 134 balls to build a perfect platform for a belated first Championship win of the season.Warwickshire chose to wield the Kookaburra ball first and took just four balls to strike with it. Tawanda Muyeye, fresh from 211 against Worcestershire at Canterbury last week, sliced the first ball from Hannon-Dalby to the third man boundary and edged the fourth, a perfectly pitched outswinger, to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.Muyeye copped an unplayable delivery, but Daniel Bell-Drummond was culpable five overs later when he edged a footwork-free waft at Rushworth to third slip. When Jack Leaning edged Hannon-Dalby to first slip, Kent were in distress at 44 for 3. They would have been in total disarray if Compton had not been reprieved by Rhodes at fourth slip off Rushworth.Compton and Evison added 57 in 13 overs before the vestige of resistance was torpedoed by a collapse just before lunch. Evison edged Ed Barnard to Burgess and Booth took three wickets in 11 balls to gallop to career-best figures. Harry Finch and Charlie Stobo edged to Burgess and Grant Stewart miscued to point.Compton reached a defiant half-century from 74 balls but lost an eighth partner when Matt Parkinson edged Rushworth behind and a ninth when Alfie Ogborne sliced Hannon-Dalby low to second slip. Compton was within sight of carrying his bat when he pulled Hannon-Dalby to square leg to supply the bowler with his 500th wicket in all formats for Warwickshire.If Kent looked devoid of confidence with the bat, they did so equally with the ball as Warwickshire openers Rob Yates and Alex Davies added 62 in 11 overs. Somerset loanee Ogborne trapped Davies lbw and Yates edged former Bears team-mate George Garrett behind but Rhodes and Hain, with tons of time and the weather forecast excellent for the duration of this match, added a sedate 94 in 30 overs. Hain played on to the impressively persevering Ogborne but Rhodes is within 18 runs of his 11th first-class century.For Kent, this miserable season can’t end soon enough. Warwickshire are charging towards a win that will pretty much ensure they don’t join their rock-bottom opponents through the trapdoor to Division Two next month.

India’s captain wants to create a pool of eight or nine fast bowlers capable of stepping into the Test XI at any given point

Ashish Pant15-Oct-2024Rohit Sharma wants to injury-proof the Indian cricket team, and has called for expanding their bench strength, particularly the fast-bowling department so that they have eight or nine players ready to step into the first XI at any given moment.”We want to create a bench strength where tomorrow if anything happens to anyone, we are not worried, and we don’t want to be worried or too heavily reliant on a few individuals. That’s not the right thing to do,” Rohit said on the eve of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. “We want to look at the future at the same time, try and make sure that we get the right guys in as well.”We want to create guys where even if there are injuries, we have got someone to quickly step in and take that role.”It’s not about three or four options. We want to try and do that like, you know, when it comes to batting, there are a lot of options. We want to create the same with the bowlers as well.”Along with the 15-member squad for the three-match series against New Zealand, India are also carrying Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy as travelling reserves. Mayank and Reddy recently made their international debuts in the T20Is against Bangladesh recently, while Rana was an unused member of that squad.Related

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• India start as favourites, but Bengaluru weather could level the playing field

• Shami not ready for New Zealand Tests; Bumrah named vice-captain

Prasidh Krishna was also initially named as a travelling reserve for the New Zealand Tests, but he has reportedly suffered another injury setback. During Karnataka’s opening fixture of the new Ranji Trophy season, against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, he bowled only eight of the 140 overs that his side sent down.”You know, the reason we wanted to keep them close to us was because we are thinking of them to take them to Australia,” Rohit said. The five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins on November 22. “We just want to monitor them and see their workload. We have seen some talent in them. I understand that they have not played a lot of red-ball cricket, but when you see a talent, you want to try and groom them.Harshit Rana, 22, has played nine first-class matches and picked up 36 wickets•PTI

“You want to try and bring them as close to the team as possible. And in a short period of time, they have shown they have some ability as well. So, we want to keep them with the team and see whether they will be ready for international cricket or not, especially Test cricket, because Test cricket is a different ball game compared to white ball cricket. So, we want to keep them, we want to see what they can offer us, and have more options with us, more than anything else.”Nitish and Harshit both obviously are quite talented individuals, and in the future obviously they are going to provide a lot of stability to the team. So, just want to see what they are capable of, what they have to offer.”Mayank’s rise has been both rapid and eye-catching. He burst on the scene during IPL 2024, bowling at speeds of 155kph, and accurately at that, for Lucknow Super Giants. He could only play four matches though with an abdominal issue keeping him sidelined. Still, India had seen enough to fast-track him into their T20 side against Bangladesh earlier this month, where he picked up four wickets from three games while consistently pushing the speed gun into the high 140kph.”Mayank obviously has shown what he can do, but we just want to be very careful with him, he has had a lot of injuries in the past,” Rohit said. “So, we want to progress him, not rapidly, we want to just see every day how he feels.”We are trying to build his workloads with the red ball. He has not played a lot of red-ball cricket at all. So, for us, it’s important that we try and build them gradually, rather than just getting them into international cricket straight away.”T20 format is such where you can get a lot of these guys and see what they are capable of and if they can handle the international exposure. But Test cricket is a different ball game. The pressure is different. You have to sustain for five days, that’s the most important thing. So, we are trying to monitor them and see, you know, what they can offer to us.”3:36

Rohit: Bumrah has always been in our leadership group

The most important cog in India’s fast-bowling line-up is the leader of the pack Jasprit Bumrah. The 30-year-old was recently named vice-captain for the series against New Zealand.There is a chance Bumrah might step in as captain in the early Tests against Australia next month with Rohit’s participation in doubt owing to personal reasons.”He’s always been part of that leadership group and one of the experienced players as well,” Rohit said of Bumrah. “He’s played a lot of cricket and I’ve played a lot of cricket with him. He understands the game pretty well. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”Tactically, I can’t say much because he’s not captained much. But, when you talk to him, he understands the game. He understands what is required. When you are in a situation where you need a leader to step up, I think Bumrah will be one of them. In the past, he’s always been in our leadership group.”So, it’s probably the right thing to just have him around and speak to the bowlers and internally discuss how to take the team forward.”Rohit remained tight-lipped about the India XI for the opening Test against New Zealand stating that they will take a call once they reach the venue on match day. It has been raining relentlessly in Bengaluru over the last few days, forcing India to cancel their training session on the eve of the game, while New Zealand were left to train indoors.”It all depends on the conditions now. Even today, there has been a lot of rain. The pitch is under the covers. So, we want to take that call when we come here in the morning tomorrow,” Rohit said. “And again, it depends on match-to-match, what sort of pitch we play on. Based on that, we want to decide what is going to be our best playing XI. We keep our options open for playing three seamers and three spinners as well.”